The industry is proficient in providing precision instruments for measuring distances from point-to-point, and from edge-to-edge. Typical precision calipers include a jaw assembly with two juxtaposed straight edges, one edge indicating the reference point and the other edge indicating the datum point, which edges are moveable relative to one another. When measuring the distance between the centerlines of two holes the user of the typical caliper must undergo a tedious procedure of, for example, measuring the distance between the near edges of the two holes, measuring the diameter of each hole, calculating the radius of each hole and adding the radius of each hole to the distance between the near edges. Such procedures are troublesome and even subject to error if rushed.
At least one prior manufacturer has sought to provide a caliper with jaw elements which are "centered" within the hole during measurement, taking in an effort to acquire hole-to-hole center distance. However, the known prior devices are specially manufactured calipers which function solely to measure between two, hole centers or between an edge and a hole center. They, thus, necessitate owning of a second, typical point-to-point caliper. Furthermore, the known, prior, hole-to-hole calipers still require addition or substraction of fractional values, after reading the scale, for a final measurement when taking other than a hole-to-hole reading.